CHRISTOPHE CLARET

Marguerite

September 28, 2017

Christophe Claret devotes special attention to women. First unveiled in 2015, the Marguerite watch appears in two new versions featuring a daintier size, while preserving its magic: the revelation of a secret message that can be personalized at will. Marguerite, distinctly smaller, yet so incredibly elegant!

The Christophe Claret brand is perpetually bubbling over with creativity and offers a full-fledged feminine collection composed of complications exclusively dedicated to women: in 2014, the watchmaker from Le Locle presented Margot, his very first feminine model, which won the Ladies’ High-Mech Watch Prize in the Grand Prix d’Horlogerie de Genève. Marguerite follows naturally in the wake of its ‘big sister’, inherently poetic and driven by a singular sense of playfulness and illusion. There are a thousand ways to love and just as many ways of saying so. There are a thousand different languages in which to salute the passing of time and to make each moment forever precious and unique... For women, and women alone, Christophe Claret has chosen just one of them. Romanticism.

Mini format, maximum effect

In an age when the range of ladies’ watches is growing constantly, the time when women had to do with men’s watches adopted to feminine tastes seems to be well and truly over. Today’s women appreciate Fine Watchmaking, are fascinated by complications and demand the right to a worthwhile choice. The large diameters in vogue over the past few years in the realm of ladies’ watches are thus giving way to smaller sizes.

Christophe Claret is well aware that times are changing and that trends are shifting accordingly. It has thus decided to trim down the original silhouette of the Marguerite watch, whose diameter has thus been reduced from 42.50 mm to 36.90 mm, while maintaining both its inherent refinement and its singular nature. This new jewelry watch is currently available in two versions. One is in 5N red gold set with champagne-toned diamonds and an aubergine strap; while the other is an even precious version set with diamonds and flaunting a flaming red strap.

Dainty, chic, precious and harmoniously balanced, Marguerite is a vivid reminder that elegance bears no relation to the size of the case.

When ephemeral charm evokes timeless elegance

At the heart of this watchmaking fable, two graceful butterflies in Super-LumiNova®, flit around a daisy. The darker one, symbolizing the female, is perched on a daisy petal that rotates every hour. Meanwhile, the lighter one, embodying the male, indicates the minutes. Sitting lightly atop a stem attached to the precious pistil, it literally flutters around the white mother-of-pearl dial.

A personalized secret message

The visual enchantment does not end there. The ultimate romantic watch, Marguerite turns loving passion into the stuff of intimate daydreams. In addition to the Arabic numerals at 3, 6 and 9 o’clock, the dial presents a second display. One press on the pusher at 2 o’clock makes the numbers disappear to reveal the phrase: “I LOVE YOU”. This message can be personalized. The watch can display any message requested by the owner, in the desired language, with a limited number of characters. In developing this optical illusion game, Christophe Claret drew inspiration from the famous “Wow!!” magic trick, which has never before been incorporated into a watch. The changeover of the two dials is achieved by superimposing two disks: the metallized transparent sapphire upper disk bearing a mosaic of transparent squares rotates over the fixed mother-of-pearl lower disk overlaid with another pad-printed varnished mosaic incorporating the text and the numerals. Releasing the pusher makes the hour display reappear instantly.

The difficulty for the Christophe Claret team lay in ensuring the message remained legible despite the smaller diameter, while also safeguarding the pleasing aesthetic.

Poetry in every detail

Because Christophe Claret excels in the art of mechanics, the Marguerite watch is equipped with a self-winding Manufacture movement whose double barrel ensures an impressive 72-hour power reserve. The sapphire caseback provides an opportunity to admire the movement’s oscillating weight sculpted like a daisy and set with eight precious stones (4 rubies and 4 emeralds). At will, the owner can indulge in the “He loves me... he loves me not” game, the simplified English version of daisy petals, that typically feminine distraction invented in the Middle Ages. In order to play, the watch must be placed in a horizontal position and accompanied by one or two undulating movements. The oscillating weight then turns for a few seconds prior to standing still. The stone closest to the red- lacquered heart provides the response – an emerald with the indication “yes” or a ruby with the indication “no” in the center.

A great fan of detail, Christophe Claret includes a great many references to the delicacy of the marguerite daisy. In the center of the oscillating weight, a flower-shaped circular satin-brushed and diamond-polished element serves to conceal the ball-bearing mechanism. This motif is echoed by the petal-like fluted motif adorning crown, as well as the flower-shaped screws securing the strap.

More than ever, the Marguerite establishes itself as a vivid symbol of the romantic game of love and chance. A watch to be loved passionately in all versions: “champagne” set aubergine or full-set red, each available in 30-piece limited editions. With this model, Christophe Claret endows women with impressive elegance and makes them truly unique.